Update

It is nearly midnight. I am tired. My baby toe hurts because I stubbed it on the cooler as we were leaving for baseball practice. My thumb hurts because I jammed it hard against a metal post while prepping the ball field. My nose is stuffy from the mystery allergy that frequently plagues me at the ballpark, but at least my eye isn't tearing anymore. I came home to find Sam lying on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, looking terrible. When I got home from work, he said he had a headache but wouldn't take anything for it. Tonight, his head was still hurting and he was burning up. It took some coaxing and about fifteen minutes, but he finally got some Motrin into his system and went to bed without any hassle. I sure hope he's feeling better by Friday! They desperately need him to ump this weekend.

I went grocery shopping after baseball practice. I can't say that I've ever been to Superstore at 9:00pm; it was kind of nice. There were no line-ups at the check-outs, and if I wasn't in such a rush to get a million things done, my shopping experience would have been quite relaxing and almost enjoyable. It was a little frustrating to not be able to get the little boxes of cereal or a big container of water; they were out. I'll get them tomorrow from the neighbourhood IGA, and I need to pick up a tin of coarse grind coffee for Kane to use with his new French press.

The last load of laundry is in the dryer which is why I am still awake. There are small piles of clothes and uniforms on my living room floor waiting to be completed and packed in the morning. The sleeping bags are rolled up and waiting...in my living room. I've been through the big bin of camping cookware and odds & ends. This time Kane will have a large spoon and spatula! At 10:00 tonight, I boiled pasta for Kane's oft requested pasta salad. Veggies need to be chopped in the morning. The van still needs to be emptied and reloaded. The cooler still needs to be cleaned out and loaded up. Oh, I need to get a block of ice, too! Can't forget that. Kane downsized from two large equipment bags to one large bag. The spare cell phone is charging and Casey's ipod has been charged. Paperwork is all in order in a binder.

It feels like I've barely done anything, but I guess there really isn't too much more to do. The kids will be enlisted to help with most of what's left to do which will make things happen more smoothly. I hope.

Spent

Am I crazy or have I simply accepted that my life is crazy busy so I may as well add more things to do to my day? I'd think about it more, but I'm too tired to do anything but keep moving. So, why am I sitting in front of my computer instead of working my way through my mile long list of things to do? Just taking a few minutes...

I am so exhausted I could sleep for a week and still be groggy. We were at the ballpark on Saturday for 7 hours and for 9.5 hours on Sunday. Yesterday I worked 7 hours and spent my three free hours catching up on some baseball business. Baseball last night. Baseball tonight. I only worked four hours today, four long and hot hours! I have laundry started, the dishwasher is running, the kids did a fair job cleaning the kitchen for me while I was at work, and I am trying to make a shopping list and decide what Kane and the kids will eat for the rest of the week.

Kane, Casey, and Abby are leaving tomorrow for Provincials. They will be leaving here between noon and 1pm. Unless he's changed his mind, Kane was planning on doing some work in the morning which leaves me to get everything packed and ready! The dentist phoned not too long ago to ask if I could bring Sam in for his cleaning tomorrow at 12:30 instead of a week later. I really had to weigh my answer. I don't know my work schedule for next week, so there is the possibility that I would end up needing to reschedule his appointment anyway, but I have so much to do tomorrow. In the end, I said yes. Shoot me now, please.

I still need to get groceries, finish laundry, pack their clothing, clean out the van, load up the van, clean out the cooler, load up the cooler, make sure Kane has all necessary paperwork for the tournament, make sure they all have their uniforms and necessary ball equipment. I filled the gas tank after work, but I still need to check oil and washer fluid. I can do this.

One of Casey's teammates will be travelling with Kane and the kids. I want to say 'us', but we aren't all going. Sam will be umpiring a Provincial tournament here from Friday through Sunday, so I'm staying home with him. It feels somewhat strange to be preparing to send half my family away on a camping/tournament trip, but there is a little piece of me that is kind of glad to see them on their way. Other than a 6:30am to 2pm shift on Thursday, I am free and clear through the long weekend. I'll help out at our Provincials and maybe watch some movies. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be doing much in the way of sleeping in!

One Down, One to Go

It has been an incredibly long weekend. I was at the ballpark yesterday for 7 hours and today for 9 and a 1/2 hours! Absolutely insane.

Abby had her season ending tournament for Tadpole Selects. She earned an MVP award in our final game, a semi-final loss. She pitched an inning in each of our two games yesterday and did fairly well considering that she has never pitched before. She didn't strike anyone out, but most of her pitches were hittable; she even gave up a home run! Unfortunately, her batting stunk this weekend. Oh well...

Casey umped several games over the weekend, and Sam umped a double-header on the other diamond this afternoon. Sam took a ball to his left elbow during the first game and has a big lump along with stitch marks from the ball.

Abby is finished. Done. Completed. Her uniform has been turned in, wrap up party has been partied out. One down and one to go! One more week of baseball. Casey has practice tomorrow and Tuesday night. Kane, Casey and Abby will be leaving Wednesday for Provincials with their first game to be played Thursday afternoon. Sam will be umping a Provincial tournament here beginning on Friday. After next Sunday, we can breathe. The hustle and bustle will stop. The dust will settle. I'll be able to reclaim space in my van once the bags of ball equipment is gone, at least until hockey season begins. Maybe we'll even get that renovation finished soon...

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Hooray!

They're gone and only 2 and a half hours later than planned!

It feels incredibly good to have my space back, although we now have to clean up from the whirlwind of in-laws. Abby's room is a disaster while it had been relatively clean before the cousin arrived. They had barely left before I had Casey sweeping and Abby vacuuming. I am not a meticulous housekeeper, but there is a limit to the amount of mess that I can tolerate and our niece has no sense of responsibility to clean up after herself. My kids have never enjoyed doing their chores, but they do them most of the time. However, while the in-laws were here, my kids suddenly became clueless, deaf, and incapable of carrying out the simplest requests. I now have the rest of the summer to correct that.

We have no baseball tonight! This is our first free night in two weeks, and we have no company to share it with! I am so glad. I can cook a real meal and we can actually sit together as a family and eat without haste. Do we even remember how to do that? My kids can get to bed at a decent hour which means that maybe I will be able to get to sleep early enough for my 6:30am shift tomorrow morning! There won't be barking and noisy activity coming in my bedroom window anymore...unless the neighbours get rowdy but they're usually not too bad.

I'm free!

Valley of Champions

This weekend was the Valley of Champions baseball tournament, co-hosted by Rutland Minor, Kelowna Minor and Westside Minor Baseball Associations. It is a huge tournament: a lot of work and a lot of fun. Sam umped 6 Mosquito 'AAA' games over the weekend at one location, while Casey played 5 games at a different location across town. We were hardly home this weekend, and I am so glad that I have the next two days off work to catch up on laundry and to relax. It was a hot weekend, especially sitting at a ballpark surrounded by gravel and concrete.

Casey's team played very well for most of the tournament. We had two games Friday and two on Saturday with the possibility of a game on Sunday if we were in the top four. Our first game was against Westside and we pulled out a 14-11 win. Casey pitched two innings that game and did very well allowing only one run. Our second game was against Surrey. We expected it to be a much more challenging game, but we cruised to an 18-7 victory. We essentially gave them 5 runs in the fourth inning, but our pitching was excellent, our bats were hot, and our fielding was pretty good, too.

Saturday morning we faced Ladner and came out flat. We lost 14-0. It was ugly. We had some opportunities, runners in scoring position that we just couldn't capitalize on, but we simply didn't play as well as we know we can. Our last game of the round robin was against Richmond, and we knew that this was the team to beat. Richmond had already won their three previous games. We started well and took a small, early lead. Unfortunately, there was a little bit of controversy and drama as one of our players was ejected from the game. It was the umpire's call to make, although I think the call was a little extreme. However, our team really held it together and did not lose focus. Instead, they managed to stage a little rally of sorts. We still fell short, losing 12-8, but it was a good game and proved to us that we are capable of playing quality baseball.

Our round robin record had us sitting in third place, so we faced Surrey this morning for the consolation final, minus our suspended player. What a great game! Every single player on the team (except our suspended player, of course) scored at least one run. The game was a full seven innings and it was close up until the sixth inning when we gave ourselves a little breathing room. The final score was 20-12, but Surrey played hard (and with three underage players!)

We finished in 3rd place!

Abby took most of the pictures for me this weekend as I was busy keeping score during our games. She did okay for the most part.





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It has been an excruciatingly long and draining week and we haven't even begun the Valley of Champions tournament! The in-laws are driving me crazy. The echoes of the angry phone call I received the other night are still ringing in my ears.

Yesterday was Sam's 14th birthday, and what should have been a happy day filled with love and joy was instead full of stress and anger. I went to work yesterday for my 10-3 shift, leaving explicit instructions with my children that, if the aunt and uncle wanted to take them anywhere, they HAD to be home by 4:30. We had baseball practice and photos at 6pm. I came home shortly after 3pm to find both the front and back doors unlocked and no one home! Finally, my sister-in-law came back around 4:45 to tell me that my brother-in-law had the kids at the Transformers movie which started at 3:30. This movie was roughly 2 1/2 hours long!!! Do the math. My sister-in-law took my children's uniforms and went to go pick them up and take them to the ballpark assuring me they'd be on time. I went to the ballpark with smoke pouring out of my ears.

Apparently, they had also taken Sam's friend with them to the movie. While Kane and I were waiting for our kids to show up at the ballpark, Sam's friend arrived with his dad who was not so happy about his son being pulled out of the movie early and left there! I don't blame him, and I don't understand what my in-laws were thinking. They had two vans, more than enough room for everyone, and the friend was picked up and brought to the ballpark at least 10 minutes before our kids arrived.

The photographer became ill just before it was Casey's team's turn for photos, so an hour of practice was wasted and no photos were taken for his team.

Kane was approached by another coach trying to clarify things that were said or not said in what has become a big fiasco. Funny how asking a little question and making an observation can trigger a landslide. Last night, I received an email from the director asking for my patience and understanding with this new coach. Supposedly, this coach was a "little rude" with me and has apologized, but I must have missed it because I haven't received any apology and he was well beyond a little rude. He was a bully. I replied to the director's email with a lengthy one of my own calmly expressing my side of this story and reiterating just how much patience and understanding I do have for any coach, including this one. I also let him know that I have not received an apology and made it clear how rude this coach was. So far no response, but we're playing this coach's team tonight...

For the third week in a row, as I checked my schedule at work, I found myself with a shift on a day that I have booked off. This time it was for Monday, July 16th. I'm getting rather tired of going to our scheduler every week for her to correct her error, and I'm sure she's getting tired of being told that she's made yet another mistake. Working on Monday wouldn't be that big of a deal except that I very well might be insane by then. Insane, and quite possibly nothing more than a puddle of molten flesh. We have this Valley of Champions tournament beginning tomorrow through Sunday. Sam is umping at one location, a total of 6 games, three of them tomorrow. Casey has four, maybe five games, two tomorrow and two on Saturday, and he's at a different location. It is going to be hot, hot, hot! Our a/c still isn't connected, and I have given up hope of having it connected before winter. My in-laws are here for at least another week, if not longer, and I don't know that I can handle it all. Monday is a day for me to recover from the weekend, even if I don't have the luxury of peace and solitude at home.

Meltdown

Well, I've had my head chewed off and spat on the floor by a baseball coach. My cheeks are burning, my eyes are barely dry, the pounding of my heart has abated, and the shaking has almost completely subsided. It only took an hour and a half! Of course, I don't know how I will react tomorrow when I see this coach or Thursday if we end up playing a game against his team. I feel somewhat better that Kane called this coach back and stood up for me, although I don't think he succeeded in reasoning with this man. I'm not sure that this man wants to see reason that doesn't line up with his way of thinking.

This coach has been a minor nuisance in my side for the past couple of weeks. I am tired of hearing pointed little comments against our baseball executive and association. I am weary of being looked at as the person with all the information and then having what information I do possess ignored. I don't need this coach to tell me how hard he works for the sake of baseball and the kids, while in the same breath, he insults the hard work and effort of every other volunteer in the association. I am one of those parents who sacrifices my time for the sake of baseball and the kids! As a parent with a child playing baseball, I should be allowed to express my concerns or questions as to how something is done without being told that my comments are asinine, accusing, and offensive. I'm not questioning his integrity or his dedication. I asked a question based on information that I had and was given from another party. I asked this question, not to accuse, but to get his side. Obviously, he chose to see it differently and, even during his phone call, refused to see it any other way. In fact, when I refused to cower beneath his scalding and made an effort to stand up for myself, he abruptly ended the phone call.

I bawled. Thankfully, Kane was in the shower and the kids and the in-laws were outside watching a movie, so I had no curious eyes to watch me disintegrate into a shaking, sobbing mass on my bed. Kane was not so happy after though and returned the phone call. Supposedly, the coach offered up some kind of apology to me, but the results of that conversation were very similar to the conversation I had with him.

I have been at a ball diamond for 8 of the last 9 days. In the last 71 days, I have been at baseball for 60 days, and many of those days have had multiple games/locations! And my baseball season isn't over yet. I am hot and exhausted and in no mood to be ripped apart by some coach on an a power trip.

Canada Day long weekend

Our home away from home; my $99 bargain from Canadian Tire! It sleeps 8, can be separated into three rooms and has an attached screened room.

Coach Rob brought along water balloons and a slingshot which kept all the kids entertained for a couple of house Sunday afternoon.

The sunset Monday night was beautiful and this photo doesn't quite do it justice.

This photo was taken just up a slight hill above the campground. You can see a glimpse of the South Thompson river through the trees. It was a nice campground and just a short drive from the ball park.

It was a long, long weekend and hot, hot, hot! At times it felt as if we'd never get to the campground, but we made it and had a good time. I was caught at Superstore Friday between 4-5pm when the power went out across Kelowna. Oh, that was fun! Saturday morning was a little more rushed than I had intended it to be. My alarm didn't go off because I forgot to reset the clock, so I was up an hour later than planned. Kane went to a friend's house to help with a plumbing job...only an hour he said. Uh huh. We had planned on leaving by 10:30am and he arrived home only shortly before then, leaving me to not only do everything I had to do but all the things I was expecting him to do. The first half hour of the trip was consumed with attitude and arguing from Casey over a tourist attraction and whether or not we would stop there on the weekend. Aaargh!

We eventually made it to Kamloops, found the campground and set up camp. We tied our first ball game against Kamloops and lost to Langley in our second game. On Sunday, we played both teams again. We tied Kamloops and beat Langley and were amazed when Abby earned an MVP award. After that last round robin game, we had our schedule for Monday changed several times. The last we had been told was that we were in the final against Langley. We showed up on Monday for the first of two games, one of which was to mean nothing and the other the final for 1st place only to be told of yet another change. Now this mean nothing game meant everything and we had to win it to go to the final. Of course, we lost. The kids had fun, but I am bothered by the way this aspect of the tournament was run. You just don't run tournaments that way! I have never seen or experienced anything like that before. It is stupid and WRONG!

The drive home was quieter than the drive to Kamloops. Both Casey and Abby dozed off for a short while which was very nice. We had left Sam at home "alone" for the weekend. He wasn't truly alone as grandma and grandpa live downstairs, and he spent one night at a friend's house. He'll be fourteen next week and needs the opportunities to stretch his wings a little. Of course, it helps that he is more responsible and mature than his brother. There's no way we'd ever let Casey do something like that for several years yet! Sam had fun and claims not to have missed us at all. Typical Sam.

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Little Miss All-Star

Abby has worn a baseball uniform before, but this is the first time that she's had the baseball socks and belt. She somehow looked bigger, older, and more "professional"...all because of socks and belt!

Rounding third base on the way to home.

Abby at bat.

Most Valuable Player!

Receiving her tournament medal.

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Casey Photo Ops

at the year end tournament for pee wee 'A'

a solo speaking part in the Canada musical production at school

playing for the opposition at the Kamloops tournament...they were short players, we were there for Abby's tadpole selects tournament and Casey was asked to play for the Westside pee wee 'A' even though he only had his ball glove! so, he had a few moments of attitude over his "dorky" look wearing a baseball uniform with ankle socks and running shoes

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